'Pokemon Go' Tracking Guide: Tips For Finding Pokemon With The Beta Update On Android And iOS

"Pokemon Go" has a new update that introduces a revised tracking system. This guide offers tips for how to use the changed sightings and nearby features. "Pokemon Go" is available now on Android and iOS. Photo: OLM Inc./The Pokemon Company/Facebook

“Pokemon Go” tracking has changed with the introduction of a new beta update, and we have some tips for how to use the feature. Here’s the latest guide for finding those shiny monsters!

The news comes to IBT from Zakrael of the “Pokemon Go” Reddit community. The poster’s in-depth analysis points out the intricacies of the latest patch.

One of the most quizzical changes to how tracking works is a subset of the feature called “sightings.” These are marked by the Pokemon’s graphic on a small patch of grass. It means that the monster is in the area, but the app doesn’t reveal just how close it is. Whether you are what used to be “one step” or “three steps” away, the marker doesn’t change.

This idea is generally less effective than the original system, but, with a little bit of know-how, it can be leveraged to find the most coveted creatures. It requires a process of careful triangulation.

If we want to catch a Pidgey, for example, seeing it in the sightings list means that the bird-type is about 200 meters away in some direction. To find out precisely where, keep walking straight ahead until its icon disappears from the list. We’ll call this point B. Next, return to where the search started and walk straight in the opposite direction of point B until Pidgey disappears again. This is point C.

With those three points established, the next step is to find point D. Point D is halfway between points B and C. Here’s where it gets tricky. Players must then walk at right angles from point D in either direction. Choosing the right one will lead to a Pidgey. If its icon disappears, however, simply return to point D and walk right-angled in the opposite direction. As evident by the actual code of “Pokemon Go,” this guide should work every time. It’s a bit of a pain but is easily understood if read slowly.

Thankfully, the rejuvenated “nearby” section is a lot simpler. Any Pokemon that appears in this menu is tied directly to a PokeStop. Tapping its icon will show the exact stop where the monster can be encountered. There are no steps here. Just head to the where the indicator leads.

This tracking update for “Pokemon Go” comes after widespread frustration with the “three-step” glitch that constantly showed all nearby Pokemon as three steps away. In response, the developers at Niantic removed the tracking feature entirely in the update prior to this one. Enthusiasts were even more upset, of course, so this patch begins to roll out a similar replacement for the broken system.

If anyone taking a gander at the tips in this guide doesn’t have the tracking features described above, that’s totally normal. As it stands right now, Niantic is only testing the feature with a seemingly random group of players across Android and iOS. A collection of fans from all regions has been able to try it out.

“Pokemon Go” took the world by storm about a month ago, and its popularity has only dipped slightly. In fact, tracking bugs have probably been the most damaging factor to the continued hype.

“Pokemon Go” is available now on Android and iOS.

What do you think of “Pokemon Go’s” new tracking feature? Did this guide help? Tell us in the poll and comments section!

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